(And, almost certainly, illegal immigrant.) The Seattle PI interview (through a translator) with Ricardo Boiso Franco included this judgment on his adopted city.
Would you like them to come live in Seattle?
"No, I don't want my children here because here people just go bad."
What do you mean?
"I know a woman here who has a daughter, and when she comes back from work, she finds her drugged up, or drunk, or gone away with her friends somewhere. So, she just went bad."
The Seattle mayor and city council could learn something from Mr. Franco.
Thanks to Orbusmax.
Cross posted at Jim Miller on Politics.
Posted by Jim Miller at September 07, 2007 07:25 AM | Email ThisAnd now I hope that the US cuts off all funding to any program in San Francisco, if that city decides to secede from the US by issuing ID cards and ignoring Federal laws.
Posted by: swatter on September 7, 2007 08:31 AMAll the self loathing in Seattle is not misplaced.
Posted by: Andy on September 7, 2007 08:41 AMThe whole place is one big guilt and envy dump, with way too much progressivism and multiculturalism, topped off with some of the worst transportation planning I've ever seen.
Huge dropout rates there. Admitted drug issues even in the best parts of the state. Budget shortages with corresponding shortages in services and professional manpower, etc.
Not something I'd with on my kids or grandkids of course, but you go ahead an put your kids there. The world will still need ditch diggers in the 21st century.
Posted by: johnny on September 7, 2007 12:02 PMHuge dropout rates there. Admitted drug issues even in the best parts of the system. Budget shortages with corresponding shortages in services and professional manpower, etc.
Not something I'd with on my kids or grandkids of course, but you go ahead an put your kids there. The world will still need ditch diggers in the 21st century.
Posted by: johnny on September 7, 2007 12:03 PMLife is not boring if you don't want it to be.
Posted by: swatter on September 7, 2007 02:17 PMThere is a lot of good in the Seattle Schools, once you get past the media gloss.
Posted by: Giffy on September 7, 2007 03:27 PMWell then we should send all kids to hebrew/bible schools then so that they learn proper conservative morals and values. If the kids were basic moral principles society will have no issues with drugs and alcohol. They can fill their lives doing positive acts in the name of God.
There's no evidence anywhere showing drug use rates among teens are higher at Seattle city schools than at suburban ones.
I don't have any statistical evidence to back up my claim, where are you getting your info from?
It would be nice if you got your facts straight before you post. Tukwila has a few more crimes than Seattle. Considering that Tukwila is mostly tilt-ups, malls, and manufacturers that could be expected. Auburn is less than Seattle. But the 'burbs like Brier, Lake Forest Park, etc. have a small fraction of the crime that Seattle does.
Because somebody has an opinion about how The City is run or how it's residents operate isn't making some sort of "moral dictate". It's simply an opinion (and not misplaced by-the-way). If you want moral dictates all you have to do is look at your fabled City. (Short list) Anti-smoking Nazis, anti-saturated fat Nazis, gay marriage Nazis, anti-car Nazis, water Nazis, rampant political correctness in every direction. Add in a school system that perpetuates racism of the worst kind.
Seattle is slowly crumbling, unable to afford the basics that taxpayers pay for (maintained streets and enough cops just for starters) and it will get worse. Both in count and taxes.
Yeah, I live in the 'burbs and we have every skin color and sexual persuasion within my eyesight (I'm near sighted) and we all get along great. Everybody is safe, we know each other, we know the cops and they know us (we wave back and forth you see). The kids go to school every day and mow our lawns for a few bucks and pick fruit from my trees when they are hungry. They are also smart, honest and athletic. In fact the kids on the other side of the street are out in the cul de sac now laughing as they shoot hoops. Just a little bit of heaven.
You can have The City.
Posted by: G Jiggy on September 7, 2007 03:46 PM
I actually worry that this diversity will end once my neighborhoods perceived value catches up with the surrounding neighborhoods. While I may not have a half-acre lawn or fruit trees but I make do with the lawn I do have.
Anti-smoking Nazis, anti-saturated fat Nazis, gay marriage Nazis, anti-car Nazis, water Nazis, rampant political correctness in every direction
Anti-smoking Nazis?
The no-smoking law was voted on by the people of the state and passed by a 60% margin. Good riddance IMHO. No one is stopping you from smoking in your own house/car.
Anti-car Nazis?
Anti-car is downtown only where businesses rely heavily on foot traffic. I use the bus to get around to various areas but if I'm going downtown I take the bus because it's a lot cheaper and easier than parking.
Water Nazis?
We talking about fluoride in the water or something?
Gay Marriage Nazis?
That's also going to have to be a statewide thing since an individual cities are beholden to the laws of the state.
Rampant political correctness in every direction
Care to elaborate here? Last I checked freedom of speech was still not restricted by the Patriot Act.
BTW, the streets in my neighborhood and surrounding look fine. Yes, we could use more cops. Seattle is definitely looking but apparently the admission bar is pretty high (the SPD haven't lowered the education standards like some other National Govt. occupations)and you usually can't afford to actually live in the city on the starting salary.
My neighborhood has a kids in it, we had a parade and a neighborhood festival a few weeks ago. They go play B-Ball at the local community center and swim in the HS pool. I like living in Seattle, beats the burbs any day.
It would be tragic, but also poetic justice to attack a sanctuary city such as them, which is saying F*** YOU to its citizens. Who has the guts to challenge the mutants who rule Sanctuary Cities - including Seattle to either stop or be cut off from Federal Funding ? (the sound of crickets chirping)
Posted by: KS on September 7, 2007 07:17 PMFranco is wrong to blame Seattle for the behavior of the child.
Miller is wrong for accepting the assertion of Franco and drawing false conclusions.
Posted by: Luigi Giovanni on September 7, 2007 11:29 PM@Jiggy, the moral dictates comment was more directed at comment 1. I think Cato handled the rest well.
Posted by: Giffy on September 8, 2007 12:50 AMI'm raising my two kids in the city, and we love it here. The public school they attend is among the best in the State. Crime has never been a big problem, and we live in what is purported to be one of the tougher neighborhoods in the City.
But, on the whole, the diversity, the educational opportunities, the cultural opportunities, all of these combine to make raising kids here great. It may surprise some of you, but we love our Children here as much as you do.
I see this criticism of Seattle frequently on SP, and it always makes me wonder at your ability to logically construct your arguments. Does Seattle have problems? Of course. But so does Bellevue, Issaquah, Snohomish, and every other town. The problems of Seattle may seem larger, but only because the City itself is proportionally larger than other places.
It is this style of discourse that ruins civil disagreement. Come spend a few days with me and my kids, and I'm pretty sure your view of the city would be tempered.
Posted by: Timothy on September 8, 2007 03:13 AMThe difference between Seattle and the other communities are- that they are not openly defying Federal Law by being a "Sanctuary city" for illegal aliens.
#20 - Better yet, why doesn't Seattle emulate SF - like they love to do and threaten to secede from the US ? Here's the deal, if Seattle doesn't have to pay their own taxes, the rest of the county doesn't have to finance their Light Rail any more, even if Referendum 1 passes, otherwise Seattle will still pay taxes like everyone else and obey Federal Law (ie. No more sanctuary city status).
Posted by: KS on September 8, 2007 08:17 AMThe difference between Seattle and the other communities are- that they are not openly defying Federal Law by being a "Sanctuary city" for illegal aliens.
#20 - Better yet, why doesn't Seattle emulate SF - like they love to do and threaten to secede from the US ? Here's the deal, if Seattle doesn't have to pay their own taxes, the rest of the county doesn't have to finance their Light Rail any more, even if Referendum 1 passes, otherwise Seattle will still pay taxes like everyone else and obey Federal Law (ie. No more sanctuary city status).
Posted by: KS on September 8, 2007 08:18 AMThe funny thing is that 'our' light rail does little for people in the City and is more aimed at those who dain to come in for work, shopping, etc. We would much prefer a street car network, but we're generally willing to help you guys out sometimes.
Posted by: Giffy on September 8, 2007 10:57 AMsee http://www.truthabouttraffic.org for what the ramifications of the passage of Ref. #1 will be.
Posted by: KS on September 8, 2007 06:03 PMI'd like to discuss it more, with whoever as long as whoever they do not pull facts out of their butt.
Posted by: KS on September 8, 2007 07:59 PMLight rail has worked in countless cities. BRT is nice, but is limited as it must share corridors for at least part of the route and because it is not permanent it does not structure development like rail does. New York was about the size of Seattle when it began building its rail system. How many New Yorkers do you think want to rip it out.
Posted by: Giffy on September 8, 2007 08:18 PMThis proposal needs to be recrafted to be more balanced. It will at least 100-150 years before light rail in Seattle shows tangible results.
Posted by: KS on September 8, 2007 08:57 PMLight Rail in Seattle will show results in 2009, especially for the tens of thousands who will ride it every day. Will it take every commuter off the road, no, but its the start of a system that will take a sizable number.
Posted by: Giffy on September 8, 2007 09:23 PMPlease cite your source; it sounds like ST propaganda to me.
I do not believe that, nor should anyone else. Light rail when done correctly will be a future benefit to this region. Unfortunately, Sound Transit has slipped way off the tracks and they appear to have no concept of the economic ramifications, and if they do, they are only catering to liberal elitists and don't care about how it affects the average family over the next 20 years and beyond.
For the facts about what passage of Referendum #1 will do,
see http://www.truthabouttraffic.org and specifically click on
Light Rail (PDF), at the top right hand corner of the home page for information that you have not seen about what passage of the RTID really means...
Where the two views of the city seem to collide is public transportation. I ride the bus and do Flex Car. As an aside, government stop taxing Flex Car to death, it is working. Third Aveneue from Mc Donalds to the King County Courthouse and Second Avenue are where Suburban commuters are most likely to encounter the hip hop culture which gives many of them the idea that Seattle is a lost cause. Buses that run on Fourth Avenue and serve a surburban or North Seattle client base give a more hurried commuter feel to Seattle. It is interesting to watch people wearily eyeing each other on Third Avenue. A lot of perceptions about race are built upon a series of daily interactions and observations. It would be easy, in my opinion, for a commuter who has little interaction with people of color other than what they observe from the interactions waiting for the bus on Third Avenue or in front of Benaroya Hall to have a negative view of both the city and other cultures.
From my experience, great neighborhoods whether in the burbs or city have more in common than people think. But, perceptions based upon interactions which can often occur at the Third Avenue bus corroder have a huge impact on how people might perceive differences.
Posted by: WVH on September 10, 2007 07:44 AM